The present invention relates to an improved exercising apparatus and, more particularly, to a dual action stationary exercise cycle which includes an upper body exercising portion including a piston-cylinder coacting with a rotatably mounted handlebar to provide resistance to handlebar rotation and a lower body exercising portion having dual pedal, multi-shaft, multi-drive components, each one of said exercising portion being capable of independent and simultaneous operation.
There are numerous exercise devices and variations thereof available in the marketplace today. Many of such devices are stationary exercise cycles capable of providing the user with lower and upper torso exercise either singly or in combination. Typically illustrative of the most relevant prior art dual exercise cycle type devices which are capable of providing a combination of upper and lower body exercise either independently or simultaneously are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,601,395 and 1,872,256. While the former patent provides a rotatable handlebar capable of 360.degree. rotation including adjustable tension control and an adjustable tension control foot actuated drive means, this reference does not envision the use of a variable resistance piston-cylinder to govern handlebar rotation nor is there disclosed a multi-drive lower body exercising apparatus. The latter mentioned patent merely discloses a spring adjustable tension control lever for hand operated forward and rearward rocking movement of the entire body from the waist up and a single shaft, single drive, non tension adjustable leg exercising device. Other devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,128 and 4,188,030, provide dual action cycles having interlinked upper and lower body exercising portions basically designed to provide simultaneous dual action exercise. Neither of these last two mentioned patents, however, teaches the application of a piston-cylinder coacting with a handlebar nor a high speed lower body exercising apparatus acting independently of the upper body exercising part. In both instances, the connection between exercise devices sets up an oscillatory movement at the foot operated exercise location which imparts motion to its complementary exercising device. Other exercising devices of note, although not as relevant as the aforementioned patents but nonetheless peripherally of interest, can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,382,841 and 4,275,882 wherein the former discloses a physiotherapeutic apparatus having a double reduction foot activated arrangement between crank and driven member and the latter relates to a home exercise gym in which hydraulic shock absorbers are attached to a handlebar-like member for exercising the arms in much the same manner as a weight lifter would bench press a weight.
The aforementioned discussion demonstrates that there are a number of cycle exercising devices available in the industry. None of the exercise cycles, however, provide an upper body exercising assembly with integral piston-cylinder separate and distinct from the lower body exercising feature of the cycle. Additionally, no other cycle provides a more compact multi-drive crank drive apparatus including a lightweight, high speed flywheel for providing a pedaling action smoother than that heretofore known in the art.